I. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to the field of computerized systems. More particularly, the invention relates to computerized systems and methods for personalizing content.
II. Background Information
Due to the rapid growth of the Internet, Internet users may access more content than ever before, including a variety of media formats such as audio, video, images, text, etc. For example, an Internet user who is interested in purchasing music might encounter an eclectic range of styles that are available at numerous Internet sites. However, due to the vast array of options, the user may not easily locate music that is suited to his or her individual tastes. Accordingly, Internet users must frequently search though a multitude of options before finding content of interest.
Along with the growing amount of content, the number of Internet retailers has also experienced rapid growth. Internet retailers face new challenges due to both the increased competition of other retailers and the growing volume of content that compete for the attention of Internet users. In particular, gaining new customers and retaining existing customers are areas of key importance to Internet retailers. For example, once an Internet retailer has gained the attention of a potential customer, the potential customer may only browse available products for a limited time before moving on to other content. An Internet retailer must not only attract customers, but also motivate customers to spend greater amounts of time browsing the Internet retailer's sales offerings and, ultimately, making a purchase. The Internet retailer would also like to motivate customers to return at a later time and make additional purchases.
To motivate customers and build customer loyalty, Internet retailers have offered coupons, advertised sales, provided free content, and implemented functionality that allows customers to participate in a community environment (e.g., discussion boards, product reviews and ratings, customer recommendations, etc.). However, these marketing approaches often do not target a particular customer based on that customer's interests. For example, a customer may view an advertisement for a product that is of no interest to the customer. Consequently, these approaches have met with limited success.
As is evident from the foregoing, traditional techniques do not provide marketing opportunities that are tailored to the tastes and interests of individuals. Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods that personalize content for individuals in order to increase browsing time and return visits which, in turn, may increase the potential of converting visits to sales, attract new customers, and build customer loyalty by motivating customers to return for future purchases.